Informational Interviews

Informational Interviews 

Purpose

• To gather information by speaking to professionals in various career fields.
• To learn what types of job opportunities exist in a given field or organization.
• To begin to develop contacts with key people. To gain insight into different work environments.
• To validate your experience and contributions to the marketplace or to that company in particular.
• To gain a contact within a company that has a job opening of interest to you.

• You are not asking the person for a job.
• You are gathering information on which to base some decision.
• Be sure to make this clear to your contacts.
• It is usually best to send an email explaining your intent to arrange a meeting.
• Then, you can follow-up your email with a phone call.
• Be prepared to take the lead in the conversation.
• Remember that you are the interviewer.
• Respect the person's time.
• Plan a manageable agenda and stick to it.

Potential Contacts

• Alumni
• Faculty/Executives-in-Residence
• Classmates
• Friends and family
• Former employers and co-workers
• Community contacts
• People mentioned in articles
• Professional Association members
• People working in a field or organization of interest to you

Email to Request Informational Interview

• Explain how you obtained the person's name and connection you may have with them.
• State upfront that you are not asking for a job.
• Explain to the person that you are seeking their perspective on their company, industry, function, a position in their company, etc.
• Ask if they would have 15-20 minutes - to meet with you to answer your questions.  (Offer to buy them lunch or a coffee.)
• Offer to send your resume to them as a means of introduction to your background.
• Thank the person for their willingness to meet with you.

Preparation

• Research the company
• Understand the person’s position
• Prepare your questions
• Remember: informational interviews are for information only, not to ask for employment 

The Interview

• Prepare beforehand by researching the company, your desired position or function and your contact's role.
• Make an agenda and prepare your questions ahead of time
• Sample questions:
  1. Tell me about this career field.  What are the positive and negative aspects of this field?
  2. What is the career path that you took to lead to this job?  Is this a typical path?
  3. How do you spend a typical day/week?
  4. What do you consider to be the necessary skills for this position?
  5. What is it like to work in your organization? What is the culture?
  6. What are your toughest challenges now and in the near future?
  7. What are the most significant trends affecting your position/-company/industry?
  8. Could you give me advice on how to break into this field?
  9. Are there any Professional Associations that I should join, or any journals that I should read?
  10. What is the path that you took to lead you to this job?
  11. What do you like and dislike about your job?
  12. What do you consider to be the necessary skills for this position?
  13. Please describe a day in the life of a person in your position.
  14. What are the most significant trends affecting your position/company/industry?
  15. What are the major issues facing you in the future?
  16. What are the three most important criteria on which your job performance is evaluated?
  17. What are the two biggest challenges/projects you face in the next six months?

  18. Last question:  Can you suggest anyone else whom I could contact for additional information - either in your company or elsewhere?

Note: Try and gain one to three additional names as a networking opportunity from each meeting and ask if you can utilize the present contact as a referral source.

Follow-up After the Interview

• Send a thank you note/email (if appropriate, include a relevant article about something you discussed)
• Keep a date record of whom you have met with and what was discussed, as well as your next steps and to do items.
• If you have not already done so, send your resume for their reference and feedback.
• Keep the contact updated on your career search.

Sample Email

Dear (Person's name),

I recently found your contact information (Alumni Network, personal referral, etc.).  I am a (class year) Babson MBA student, and am doing some informational interviewing as part of my (summer internship/job) search.  I am very interested in learning more about your company (industry, function), and I hope that you might have 15 minutes to speak with me via phone or meet in person to answer some of my questions.  I can send you my resume as a means of introduction to my background, if that would be helpful. I will call you to see if we can arrange a time to meet or you can reach me via this e-mail or at (phone number). I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Best Regards,

Your Name
Contact Information